Aluminum-Crosslinked Nanocellulose Scaffolds for Fluoride Removal

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Anionic carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CNF) excel at removing cationic contaminants.
• A need exists for sustainable adsorbents targeting anionic contaminants in water.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop sustainable, cationic CNF-based adsorbents for anionic contaminant removal.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of aluminum ion-crosslinked CNF (Al-CNF) for fluoride removal.

Main Methods:

• Nitro-oxidization of CNF to produce carboxylated CNF (NOCNF).
• Crosslinking NOCNF with aluminum ions to create the Al-CNF adsorbent.
• Evaluating Al-CNF's fluoride adsorption capacity, selectivity, and sequential application for dye removal.

Main Results:

• Al-CNF exhibited a maximum fluoride adsorption capacity of 43.3 mg/g, exceeding activated alumina.
• Al-CNF demonstrated high selectivity for fluoride adsorption over nitrate and sulfate ions.
• Spent Al-CNF effectively removed Basic Red 2 dye, showcasing sequential application potential.

Conclusions:

• The developed Al-CNF is a cost-effective and highly efficient adsorbent for removing anionic fluoride from water.
• Al-CNF offers a sustainable and versatile solution for water purification, capable of removing both anionic and cationic contaminants sequentially.